Savin' Scourge
by ShidesuHejjihoggu
Summary: Oneshot. Sequel to "Scourge's Second Chance". Scourge has been found out as an escapee from the Zone Jail, and is arrested again. Can Sonic find it in his heart to forgive and rescue him?


**Someone actually requested a sequel to "Scourge's Second Chance," which caught me by surprise. I'm not complaining, though. I was more than willing to do so.**

**The main inspiration for this one is Nickelback's song "Savin' Me," but there are also several other song lyrics in this.**

**Warnings: Some violence, some OOC-ness, implied abuse.**

**Disclaimer: Only the plot is mine. If I owned the characters, Scourge would have appeared in the games (and anime) by now.**

Savin' Scourge

A few months had passed since Scourge had decided to stay with Sonic and his parents.

He considered it to be the best decision of his life.

By now, his quills had grown back to their normal size, allowing him to run at super speeds again so he and Sonic took every opportunity they could to race, building his stamina back up.

The wounds on his body had healed up quite nicely, as well.

Of course…

He was having occasional nightmares about having never escaped, and still a target for everyone in the Zone Jail…

But the more frequent ones, were about being found out as an escapee, and being dumped there again…by Sonic…

And, there was the fact that everyone else still didn't trust him, but he was used to that, so he ignored it.

Whenever Eggman or Ixis Naugus started something, Scourge and Sonic would both arrive and, as though in complete sync with each other, would work together to sabotage their plans in a matter of seconds. The Moebian claimed he only helped because he had nothing better to do.

All in all, Scourge's life now was paradise compared to how it had been before.

However…

All good things must come to an end…

It started on a lazy day. Nothing important going on.

Sonic and Scourge were home alone and had started out playing a fighting videogame- Sonic's philosophy was, "You're never too old to play a good videogame!"- but then at some point, they'd fallen asleep, and were now resting on each other, Sonic's head on Scourge's shoulder, and Scourge's on Sonic's head. Both were snoring softly, the controllers still in their hands.

Just then, the sound of someone warping into the room, familiar yet different at the same time, reached their ears.

Scourge was the first to wake up, and it took his sleepy brain a few moments to recognize the figure in front of him.

Zonic. The Zone Cop had his visor up, revealing his face, which is how Scourge knew it was him.

Letting out a cry of alarm and fear, Scourge reflexively threw the controller at the Zone Cop before jumping off the couch and bolting.

Sonic fell over from the sudden lack of support, jolting him awake, but it took a little longer for him to realize what was going on. "Wha…?"

Zonic fired a shot from his F.O.E. Inhibitor at the green hedgehog, and the energy wrapped itself around his body, from his forearms to his thighs, making Scourge tumble to the ground.

Even as he fell to the floor, Scourge struggled to get free. "No! I ain't going back to that hellhole!"

The blue hero of Mobius could only blink, even though a part of his brain was starting to realize something…

"…Scourge…you…escaped the Zone Jail…didn't you…?"

Scourge froze. He could hear the hurt and betrayal very clearly in his twin's voice. "I-I…"

"More than just that, he also initiated a riot that caused a lot of damage. It took some time to repair it all, which is why it took me this long to track him down," the Zone cop said, pulling out a Control Collar.

At the sight of it, Scourge's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks, and started struggling again, desperate to escape the inevitable.

Sonic could see the terror in those blue eyes, and while he wanted to help the green hedgehog, his sense of moral prevented him from interfering.

"Blue…"

"…" Sonic turned away from the scene, betrayal gripping his heart so tightly it _hurt_.

"No, no, Blue, don't le- hrk!" Scourge was cut off as the Control Collar clamped around his throat.

"Silence, criminal."

It was just like in his nightmares…

Only this time, he wouldn't be waking up from them.

Even as Zonic hoisted him up onto his shoulder, Scourge continued to struggle, becoming more panicked by the moment. His sunglasses fell to the floor, but no one seemed to notice.

"NO! NO! Sonic!_ SONIC! For the love of Chaos, help me!"_ Scourge's voice had gone a bit shrill in his panic. If he could have, he would've been reaching out a hand towards Sonic.

"…" Sonic said nothing, not trusting his voice.

Figuring he had been here long enough, Zonic activated the teleporter in his armor…

_"SONIC!"_

Scourge's final shout echoed throughout the room as he was whisked away, back to the Zone Jail…

Only when he was left alone, did Sonic allow himself to feel the emotions he'd kept pent up. With a roar of anger, he launched the game controller in his hand at the wall, the force of the impact shattering the controller and leaving an impressive hole in the wall.

Sonic fell to his knees, a hand pressed against his face as tears fell from his eyes, dripping onto the floor.

Scourge had betrayed him…his friend, his _brother_…

He'd deceived him…lied to him and his family!

_'Can you really blame him? You saw how scared he was…You know about his nightmares…'_ a part of his brain whispered.

He ignored the logic behind that, though.

Meanwhile, at the Zone Jail, Scourge had been literally dropped off at the Warden's feet.

"Well, if it isn't the fugitive…did you enjoy your taste of freedom?"

"Send me back, Zobotnik! I don't wanna be here again!"

The Warden continued as if the hedgehog hadn't spoken. "Since you've managed to completely ignore your rehabilitation here, we'll just have to take things further…"

Scourge paled. He really didn't like the sound of that…

_One week later…_

Back on Mobius, Sonic was still reeling over what had happened. He barely ate or slept, didn't talk to anyone, and had isolated himself in his room, which he'd shared with Scourge the past few months. His eyes were bloodshot, his fur was unkempt and matted, and he was becoming emaciated, mainly due to his high metabolism. None of that mattered to him, however. He just kept fiddling with Scourge's shades, not able to bring himself to get rid of them.

His ears twitched upon hearing a rock guitar intro on the radio he'd been listening to practically non-stop.

_"You. I trusted your intentions, a trust you took advantage of. Now you are sitting in the hole that you dug around yourself."_

Sonic felt a pang in his heart, reminded of Scourge's betrayal…

_"You've lied so much you think it's true. Do you know the truth? How does someone get to be like you? The king of all excuses…"_

Deciding he'd heard enough of it, he switched the song to something else. He heard a softer intro, one he recognized…

_"Prison gates won't open up for me, on these hands and knees I'm crawlin'. Oh, I reach for you."_

Sonic's eyes widened in alarm, a faint sense of dread coming over him.

_"Well I'm terrified of these four walls, these iron bars can't hold my soul in."_

He couldn't help thinking of how Scourge had tried to get away from Zonic…

_"Come, please, I'm callin'. And oh, I scream for you. Hurry, I'm fallin'…I'm fallin'…"_

Was…was Scourge going through all that hell again…? …Or…was it worse…?

…He had to find out for himself.

Tucking the pair of red shades under his bed, Sonic quietly slipped out the window. He knew he shouldn't be going anywhere in his state, but he felt as if he had no other choice.

He needed a Chaos Emerald. And there was one person he knew who always had one on him…

Meanwhile, in the Zone Jail, Scourge was fighting unconsciousness.

The restraints from the F.O.E. Inhibitor had been replaced with thick chains, and the Warden had sentenced him to spend the rest of his time here in Solitary Confinement. His quills had been shaved down again, although this time, they were tiny nubs that would normally be found on a newborn hoglet. His fur and jacket, which no one had bothered to take off of him, were so caked in blood, dirt, and other substances, he was barely recognizable. Like Sonic, he, too, was becoming dangerously skinny from lack of food. They didn't bother to feed him.

Not only did the week in a small, completely dark room grate at his sanity, but he would get frequent visits from the guards and other inmates who'd been encouraged to do whatever they wished to him.

The beatings were bad enough…but there were some who would take out a different kind of frustration on him…

That vile, disgusting act…it made him sick just thinking about it.

Even if he hadn't been bound, there was no doubt he wouldn't be able to move anyway given how much pain he was in.

The only thing that kept him from fully breaking, was the false hope that someone would free him from this hell…

All he could do was wait…

'Blue…'

He hadn't wanted anyone to find out his secret, least of all Sonic. Now he was sure the blue hedgehog hated him…

As he blacked out from it all, his last thought was, 'Sonic…_I'm sorry…_'

'_I'm sorry…_'

Sonic came to a halt as the words faintly echoed in his mind. Had he really just heard…?

He shook his head. He was probably just imagining things from his lack of sleep…

After running all over the place, he finally tracked down the one he'd been searching for.

"Yo, Shadow!"

The black and red hedgehog looked down from his resting spot in a tree at the blue one. "What do you want?"

Sonic's face took on a serious expression, one that was rarely seen on him. "I need to borrow your Chaos Emerald."

Shadow gave him a suspicious look. "What for?"

"…It's personal."

The red-eyed hedgehog had a hunch about Sonic's reason, and it was especially strong as he surveyed his rival's appearance. "…It's Scourge, isn't it?" He knew that what had happened, had been hard on the hero.

Sonic flinched, proving Shadow's hunch, but still, he nodded. "I just…I have the feeling that something's not right…"

The Ultimate Life Form crossed his arms. "Let me guess: You're going to use the Emerald, and Chaos Control to the Zone Jail…just to check up on the guy who betrayed you?"

"Pretty much."

"You're an idiot…"

"Just give me the damn Emerald already, Faker!" Sonic snapped, losing his patience, not that he had much to begin with…

Shadow gave him a soul piercing glare, before sighing. "Fine." He pulled his signature green Chaos Emerald out from his quills and tossed it down to Sonic.

"I owe ya one, Faker."

"Would you just go already?"

"Uh, right." Concentrating on where he needed to go, Sonic gathered up the Chaos Force inside the Emerald. "Chaos…Control."

With a flash of light, he was gone.

And reappeared in a pitch black room.

The light associated with Chaos Control was enough to rouse Scourge from unconsciousness with a pained groan. "Whozzere…?"

"Scourge?" Sonic looked in the direction of the weak sounding voice, but in the dark, he obviously couldn't tell exactly where Scourge was.

A surge of relief flooded Scourge's body. "B-Blue…"

Just then, the door to the cell opened, momentarily blinding the two hedgehogs.

"Hey, Snot! It's time for some _fun!"_ came the voice of Smalls the Cat.

After his eyes adjusted to the light, Sonic could easily the condition Scourge was in. This alone was enough to tick him off, but then Smalls' words sunk in…

It was too much, and Sonic snapped.

The Chaos Emerald in his hand started to give off negative energy, fueled by the hedgehog's anger.

A dark glow surrounded him, and his quills turned upwards, as if he was going Super.

Only this, was way different.

Sonic's fur and skin turned into an ebony color, and his eyes were only showing the sclera, which were two white hot flames of rage.

"Don't touch him…don't you fucking touch him!"

Dropping the Emerald- he had no use for it anymore, as his form was solely fueled by Sonic's anger now- he turned towards the doorway and launched himself at Smalls, scoring a punch in the cat's stomach, which sent him flying back through the door and into the walkway railing. He then started punching him repeatedly in the face.

"Sonic! Don't waste your time with him…it was the Warden who caused all this…" Scourge had to really strain his voice, which was hoarse from all the screaming he'd done in the past week, in order to be heard.

Dark Sonic turned his gaze towards the battered hedgehog, his expression softening a fraction, before nodding. With a jerk of his hand, a small burst of Chaos Force was fired at the chains that bound Scourge, effectively breaking them.

"Go. Use that Emerald to get out of here. I'll take care of Zobotnik." His eyes narrowed, promising revenge. Then, like a rocket, he shot off towards the Warden's office. Anyone who was in his way, was thrown off the walkways.

Scourge was really glad he wasn't on Sonic's bad side right now…

It took a while for him to move his limbs, as they'd become stiff and sore from being in the same positions for so long, not to mention the chains had cut off the circulation slightly, so there was the addition of waiting for his hands and feet to regain some feeling. It was a very slow process, one that Scourge wasn't patient enough to follow through. Ignoring the pain from his unused muscles, he quickly grabbed the Chaos Emerald and focused on being anywhere but the prison. Somewhere safe…like Sonic's home…

"Chaos Control!"

With a flash of light, he was free. Again.

The doors to the Warden's office were busted down, ironically right when Zobotnik was receiving the report on the intruder.

"Zobotnik!"

The Warden spun around at the voice, as did Major Znively.

"What is the meaning of this? Just who are you?"

Dark Sonic chuckled, the sound of it sending shivers down their spines. "Who I am is none of your concern…No, you should be more concerned with your _punishment."_

He lunged at the human, wrapping a hand around the man's throat, enough to keep the human from speaking. Znively tried to interfere, but he was thrown headfirst into the wall and, as a result, knocked unconscious.

"You will pay for the way you have treated my brother…by experiencing everything he has lived through this past week…"

Within a few seconds, he was in the prison courtyard, still holding Zobotnik by his throat.

"Tell me…How would you all like to _thank _the Warden here for all the hospitability he's given you…?" he addressed the prisoners. "The Control Collars, his so-called _rehabilitation…_would you like to give him a taste of what you've gone through…? Maybe even…have a bit of _fun_, hm? The same kind of fun you had with Scourge…or as you all called him, _Snot_?"

That was more than enough to get the inmates riled up. They were all calling for bloodshed and vengeance.

Dark Sonic chuckled yet again. "Well then…it's time for you to pay the price for all you gave done here, Warden." He flung Zobotnik into the crowd of rowdy prisoners, where they proceeded to savagely beat the man.

Before the guards could do anything, Dark Sonic turned to them. "If any of you Zone Cops come after Scourge the Hedgehog again, I _will_ kill you. That is a promise that even _Sonic_ won't break. Understand?"

The pure malice in his voice was enough to make even the veterans cower.

Satisfied with his work, Dark Sonic warped back to Mobius.

When he arrived at his home, he ended up giving Bernadette and Jules a scare; they'd both been tending to Scourge's injuries. When Scourge had arrived, he had explained the situation, and the older hedgehogs had thankfully been understanding.

Dark Sonic ignored them, however, in favor of the green hedgehog who was laying on the couch, the Chaos Emerald still in Scourge's hands. He frowned slightly…he knew his existence had been because of this hedgehog, and his host's desire to protect, making it his purpose to protect the Moebian…but how was he supposed to protect his brother when he could only take control when his host was feeling extreme rage…?

Unless…yes, that could work…

"The deed is done, brother…you won't have to live in fear anymore…No one will be coming after you again, nor will anyone hurt you…I made sure of it."

And with that, he reverted back into the normal, loveable blue speedy hedgehog, only he left a small portion of his power and consciousness behind, as to make sure he could fulfill his purpose at any time.

Sonic then fainted from exhaustion.

Luckily Jules caught him before he could hit the floor, but it was a close call.

Three hours later, Sonic opened his eyes. He looked around in confusion. What was he doing home, in his room? The last thing he remembered was…

"Scourge!" He quickly sat up in alarm, only to regret it when the world spun for a few seconds.

"Back to the land of the living, eh, Blue?" came a familiar voice.

"What can I say?" Sonic replied, looking over at the bed next to his once the dizzy spell had passed. "I die hard."

"Heh, you and me both, else I'd have never survived the past week…" Scourge trailed off, remembering the hell he'd been through.

While Scourge's fur had been cleaned of all the muck and grime that matted it, all it really did was reveal even more injuries. What was left of his jacket was being washed and, hopefully, it could be repaired. As for Scourge himself, he was wrapped with so many bandages, he looked like a mummy. The Control Collar had been removed by Jules, with some help from Tails.

Sonic felt a twinge of guilt, and looked away. "…I shoulda come sooner…"

"Meh, at least someone finally came to bust me outta there. 'Sides, that new form of yours was kinda cool."

Sonic looked confused. "New form…?" Could that be the reason for his memory lapse? Strange…

"Yeah, it looked kinda like your Super form, only…darker. Eviler, even…You don't remember?"

Dark Super…? The blue hedgehog shook his head, frowning. "Last thing I remember was seeing you in that cell…then waking up here. The rest is just…a haze."

"Weird…"

"…What did I do in that form anyway?" Sonic asked. Naturally, he was slightly curious about what had happened.

"Well, you beat the shit outta my old cellmate," Scourge smirked, "before I told ya to take care of the Warden."

"What happened after that?"

"Hell if I know, you told me to use the Chaos Emerald to get outta there."

Sonic then remembered something. "Ah, crap, I still gotta return the Emerald to Shads."

Scourge blinked. "Can't he use Chaos Control without it?"

"Well…yeah."

"Then why return it?" the green hedgehog scoffed, rolling his eyes.

In response, Sonic threw his pillow at him. "You dolt, you're supposed to return things you borrow from someone."

"Cut me some slack, Blue, I ain't used to doin' that kinda shit."

It was Sonic's turn to roll _his _eyes.

Some things never change…although he had to admit, it was nice to see that a week of being horribly abused hadn't completely messed up Scourge.

Speaking of which…

Sonic slowly got out of bed, just to make sure he didn't get lightheaded again, and crawled under it.

"…Uh…Blue? What are you doin'?"

"Getting someth- ow!" Sonic accidentally hit his head as he was crawling out from under his bed. "Something I hid under here before I went to save your sorry ass."

One hand was rubbing the bump on his noggin, the other held Scourge's shades.

Light blue eyes widened in shock. "I wondered where those went…" Automatically he reached for them, only he'd forgotten about his weakened muscles; he lost his balance, letting out a cry of surprise, and fell right on top of Sonic's back, between the blue quills and the spines on Sonic's back. Luckily Sonic still had his head turned to the side, so Scourge missed being impaled by either of them.

"Ah, fuck, that hurt…"

"At least you weren't the landing pad," Sonic replied. "Think you can get yourself up?"

Feeling rather insulted- he was _not_ weak!- by the question, Scourge snapped out, "Of course I can!"

Of course, he was proved wrong by the sheer fact that his muscles hadn't regained their strength yet from being underused, and every movement he made sent waves of pain throughout his body.

He didn't give up, though, and after several agonizing minutes which also consisted of him silently cursing Zobotnik and everyone else in the Zone Jail to hell, he was at least off of his blue twin.

Sonic just watched, growing more concerned, but didn't say anything; he knew just how fragile Scourge's pride was, especially now since he was just starting to recover from his ordeal again.

A soft knock on the door startled the both of them. "Boys? Are you alright?" It was Bernadette.

"We're fine, Ma," Sonic and Scourge said in unison, Sonic looking at his doppelganger right after; it was rare that the Moebian used familial terms when talking or referring to the Prime versions of his parents. It was only something was really bothering him that he did, mainly because Jules and Bernadette would actually be understanding of his problems, in contrast to _his_ parents who would either ignore him, in the case of Anti-Jules, or scold him for being such a bother, like his mother would.

The blue hero figured Scourge was just trying to hide how badly his treatment in jail had affected him. He knew he would need to talk to Scourge about it, but he also knew that Scourge was stubborn and likely to keep such things to himself.

Sonic almost didn't notice his mother entering the room until she went to help Scourge up. As soon as Sonic saw his brother's reflexive flinch, he instantly felt a protective anger. Without even thinking, he dropped Scourge's shades and darted forward in between them, grabbing his mother's wrist tightly, and even went into in a defensive stance. There was a dark aura surrounding him, his green eyes burning with anger.

"Don't. Touch. Him," he stated coldly.

Startled by his actions, Bernadette froze, her eyes wide from shock and slight fear; then she recalled the tales of her son's various forms…all of them protectors, due to Sonic's heroic nature. She had seen for herself the newest form, if only for a few moments, and Scourge had told them about how it had come to existence…

Perhaps this one, too, despite it having a darker nature, was also a protector. _Scourge's _protector, to defend the green hedgehog when he couldn't defend himself.

_"No one will come after you again, nor will anyone hurt you…I made sure of it."_

Slowly, Sonic came back to his senses, as the new consciousness faded back when he sensed there wouldn't be any more threats to Scourge. He blinked in confusion. "Wh-What…?" Hadn't he just been on the floor? What was he doing standing up…? Realizing he was still squeezing on his mother's wrist, he quickly let go.

"…I think that new form of yours has a mind of its own, Blue…"

"I was thinking the same thing," Jules' voice sounded from the doorway. He had followed his wife into the room, and had watched the whole time; he'd also been thinking along the same lines as Bernadette, about his son's newest form.

Both parents explained their theory about the so-called "Dark Super" form. Scourge didn't look too happy about having a bodyguard, but if it meant he got to see that cool looking form again, he figured it would be worth it.

Sonic was starting to wonder if this new form had been worth saving Scourge…

A shiver went down his spine as a new thought entered his mind. What if he ended up hurting his friends and family because of it? He nearly came close with his mother…who knew what would happen if Tails or Sally or any of his friends accidentally triggered his "Dark" form…

Then again, if Eggman were to trigger it, then perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad thing. Maybe the Doc would become scared enough to stop trying to conquer Mobius.

His devious thoughts were interrupted by his and Scourge's stomachs rumbling, causing them to blush in embarrassment.

Bernadette just smiled gently. "I was about to bring up some food for you two."

At the prospect of food, the two younger hedgehogs perked up. Only to deflate a bit when they learned that they were to get back into their beds and _wait_ for their food, and that Scourge would have to have someone feed him until he regained some of his strength.

"Aw, come on, I ain't a damn cripple!" Scourge protested.

"Dude…you can barely move on your own right now," Sonic pointed out.

The green hedgehog gave his blue double a flat look. "Don't remind me…"

Half an hour later, they were both settled back in their respective beds, having eaten some light broth to help their stomachs get used to food again after a weak of deprivation, the Moebian glaring at the wall. "I hate this…"

The blue Mobian rolled his eyes. "Would you rather be here or back in that cell?" he asked rather bluntly.

Scourge didn't answer, although he did cringe at the mention of the Zone Jail.

"Hey, just remember, it could be worse."

A noncommittal grunt in response.

With a sigh, Sonic leaned back and tried to relax, even though he felt as though something was missing…

Realizing it was too quiet in the room, he remembered that he'd gotten used to having his radio on.

"Hey, you don't mind if I put some music on, do you?" he asked.

"Whatever…"

Figuring that was the best answer he would get, Sonic went over to his radio, turned it on, and started switching through the stations.

_"You should have known the price of evil, and it hurts to know that you belong here, yeah. Ooh, it's your fucking nightmare."_

Seeing Scourge's flinch, Sonic quickly changed the station.

_"The secret side of me I never let you see, I keep it caged but I can't control it."_

Sonic instantly thought of his Dark Super form. "No." Switch.

_"Can you feel life moving through your mind?"_

"Hey-"

"Anything but that one!" Scourge snapped.

Sonic glared, but still said, "Fine, fine," before finally staying on one music station.

_"I hate to see you fall down, I'll pick you up off the ground. I've watched the weight of your world come down. And now, it's your chance to move on, change the way you've lived for so long, find the strength you've had inside all along."_

Scourge's ears twitched. He recognized this song…It almost seemed symbolic now.

Tuning out rest of the song, Scourge tried to relax and get some sleep. It took a few minutes, but he finally went into a bit of a restless sleep.

Sonic meanwhile, despite his body yearning for rest as well, struggled to stay awake. Eventually the siren song of sleep was too much for even his stubbornness to resist, and he managed to shut off the radio before falling into a deep slumber.

It only lasted an hour before the nightmare started.

Scourge twitched in his sleep, a faint whimpering sound escaping him.

"No…get off…Smalls, don't…! _No! Stop!"_

The frightful plea acted like a switch in Sonic's mind, calling forth Dark Sonic. Once again, the dark blue aura surrounded the cerulean hedgehog.

He opened his eyes and scanned the room, looking around for whatever threatened his brother. He saw none, though, but he didn't let his guard down.

When he saw Scourge thrashing around slightly, he growled, wanting to further punish Zobotnik for what he'd done.

But that would have to wait…

For now, he was focused on trying to help the one he'd sworn to protect. Quiet as a ghost, he made his way over to the other bed.

He knew that in this case, making any sort of contact would make things worse…but he saw no other way to prevent his brother from injuring himself further, so he gently, yet firmly, grabbed Scourge's wrists.

As predicted, the evergreen hedgehog thrashed around more in his panic. Dark Sonic, however, simply held on.

"Calm yourself, brother…it's just a dream, a mere memory…nothing can hurt you while I'm around. You're safe with me…" he murmured, over and over again, until Scourge finally settled down.

Light blue eyes revealed themselves. There was some remembrance of his nightmare in his eyes, but it was quickly gone once he noticed the figure next to him. "Y-You're…"

Dark Sonic nodded. "I am the one you call Dark Super. I am the one who is sworn to protect you."

"…Why? I can take care of myself."

"I have no desire to see anyone put you in this state again," he gestured to the various wounds, though he didn't mean just the physical ones, "Neither does Sonic."

Scourge raised an eye ridge. "Are you the only form to have a mind of your own?"

He was surprised when Dark shook his head. "We all have our own consciousness, but the others choose to merely lend their power to our host."

"…How did you know that I was…?"

"Simple. When Sonic took back control I left behind a bit of my power so that I would always be aware of his surroundings, even if he were in a coma."

The former King of Moebius didn't really understand what he meant, but he didn't care. One good thing about this conversation was that it was taking his mind off his memories…his nightmare.

Of course, thinking about it brought back those painful images, causing him to flinch, shiver, and squeeze his eyes shut.

Dark Sonic's eyes flashed, and the darkness around him flared up. Oh, how he wished he had killed Zobotnik, the other prisoners, _and_ the Zone Cops when he had the chance! Then, perhaps, his brother's fears would be more at ease.

Scourge could feel the amount of rage oozing from the other hedgehog, and was glad he wasn't on his "To kill" list.

Dark let go of Scourge's wrists and backed off. "Sleep, brother…I'll keep watch."

"What do you think I am, a damn kid?" Scourge said indignantly.

"No, I don't. However, given your current state, you are as vulnerable as one. I can also wake you from your nightmares before you become trapped in them."

Although displeased, Scourge knew he wouldn't win this argument. He watched as the dark blue form perched himself on Sonic's bed.

"…Shouldn't you, uh…turn back into Blue? I mean, if you end up wasting his energies, not only would you not have a way to take over again, but he could also die from it." Scourge wasn't entirely sure if what he said was the truth, but if his bluff worked, then he'd have some leverage over his self appointed bodyguard.

'Hm…You have a point."

"I do? I mean, yeah, a'course I do."

Dark Sonic gave him an amused smirk. "Very well, then. I shall retreat for now." He quickly put action to the words, and reverted back into Sonic, who fell backwards and sort of bounced on the mattress.

Sonic didn't wake up from it, for which Scourge was grateful. Of course, the resulting silence was unnerving. It made him think back to the past week, alone in that dark cell, before the door was opened, and then…

_"It's time for some **fun**, Snot!"_

_'No, no, no, don't think about it…!' _But it was no use. As the memories assaulted him, his stomach churned, and he silently gagged, tears building up in his eyes. He could feel the weight pressing down on him, the burning pain of his insides being ripped apart…

Without realizing it, he grabbed his pillow and bit down on it, the same way he'd bite on his jacket sleeves, to keep from screaming.

_'No more…make it stop…_please_, stop_…_'_

He'd been so _pathetic_, so _weak_, begging like that…It didn't matter how many times he did, it wouldn't ever stop.

His body shook as he tried to suppress his sobs. He curled up instinctively, his face semi-buried in the pillow, his tears making it damp, green ears pressed flat against his head.

How long he remained that way, he didn't know. All he knew was that once the memories left him alone, he felt drained, and before he could try to fight it, he fell into a deep sleep.

This was how Sonic found him when he woke up several hours later at sunrise. Not even bothering to wonder why he'd woken up in a different position than when he slept, he slowly got up and made his way over to the other bed.

He almost reached out for Scourge, but something told him it would be a bad idea, so he let his arm fall to his side. Instead, he merely watched for a few moments, taking in the dried trail of tears he could see from this angle.

With a silent sigh, the blue hedgehog decided to get ready for the day.

After a quick shower in the connected bathroom, Sonic walked back into his room. His fur and quills were still dripping a bit, but he ignored it.

Seeing Scourge still curled up on his bed made his heart sink, however. He knew he had to do something to help, but what could he do, aside from trying to get Scourge to talk about what happened?

"…Scourge…?" he asked quietly. "Time to get up, bud."

Getting no response, he decided to do something drastic, even if it did seem a little stupid. Cautiously, he placed a hand on the other's shoulder.

Instantly, Scourge flinched violently, jerking his head up so fast he ripped off a piece of the pillow due to him still having it in his jaws. sending feathers flying everywhere. His eyes were wide and so full of terror that Sonic recoiled a bit.

"Erm…sorry 'bout that. I just…needed a way to get you up…" Sonic said sheepishly.

"Way to give me a heart attack, Blue!" Scourge snapped once he'd calmed down. He either didn't notice, or didn't care about the fabric stuck to his sharpened teeth or the mess around him.

"How else was I supposed to get you up?" Sonic asked, rolling his eyes a bit.

Scourge just glared at him. He didn't like that he was so jumpy, even if he did have a good reason to be. "You still didn't need to do that, especially after-" He tensed and quickly shut his mouth before he could say anything else.

"After…?" Sonic prompted, sensing an opportunity to get his brother to open up.

Scourge shook his head, his eyes looking haunted.

Recalling the same look from before, Sonic instantly knew what had happened. "Nightmare…What was it about?"

Feeling ashamed, the green hedgehog looked away. "Can't say…"

"Can't, or _won't?"_

"Just…leave me alone, Blue…"

"Not gonna happen, bro, until you tell me what's on your mind."

Something dangerous flashed in those light blue eyes, but it went away as quickly as it came. "What does it matter? It won't change the fact that it happened…"

"It matters, because I wanna help you. I know I didn't do anything when Zonic showed up, but at _least_ let me make up for it."

Although Scourge flinched slightly at the Zone Cop's name, he didn't respond for several seconds. Finally, he spoke.

"You really wanna know, huh…? Fine then, if it'll get you to shut up." He hesitated before continuing. "It was…about that first day back there…Zobotnik had thrown me into that cell, before telling both the guards and the other prisoners that…they could do whatever they wanted to me…At first, they'd only beat me, but then…Smalls came in, saying he wanted t'do somethin' new, to _have some fun_…Because of the chains, I couldn't…I…"

It was only through sheer willpower that Scourge didn't have another breakdown, although he came close to it.

"…So he was the first to…"

At the other hedgehog's nod, Sonic had to push his anger down, lest he do something he'd regret. He could also faintly feel Dark Super trying to take control…

Once he'd gotten himself under control, Sonic did the only thing he could do.

He wrapped his arms around Scourge in a gentle brotherly embrace, being careful of his "twin's" injuries..

At first, Scourge had tensed, but then he relaxed, just a little. The jumble of emotions still tight in his heart yearned to be released.

"I'm sorry, Scourge…I failed you that day, when I didn't help you…"

He felt something wet hit his shoulder…tears?

'Sonic…'

The fact that Sonic felt _guilty_ about what happened was enough for Scourge to finally give in and break down into full blown sobs, one of the reasons being that Scourge had also been harboring guilt, for not trusting Sonic or his parents enough to tell them of his secret sooner. Maybe he wouldn't have been taken back by Zonic…

He could hear voices hissing at him for showing such weakness.

Zobotnik's, the guards', the other prisoners'…

…His mother's…

He ignored them all, though. Another one of Sonic's philosophies was, "Don't dwell on the past too long, all it'll do is just bring you down."

Scourge was _not _going to let those bastards win! He'd do all he could to move on from the hell he'd gone through, and releasing the ball of emotions built up inside him was the first step.

After several minutes, Scourge was completely spent from crying. He simply leaned against Sonic, not having the energy to do anything else.

"You okay now?"

"Yeah…Thanks…"

"Hey, what are brothers for, right?" Sonic responded, pulling away.

Scourge gave him a weak chuckle at that. "Right."

Sonic grinned. He knew that in time, the physical and psychological scars would fade.

Within a few weeks, Sonic's prediction proved to be true. With the support of Sonic, Jules, and Bernadette, Scourge was recovering from his ordeal. His injuries were healing, he was regaining the weight he'd lost, he was able to move around on his own, his quills were growing back, much to his relief, and despite the fact that he would still tense and go pale whenever said the word "Fun," given that he associated the word with what he'd gone through, his nightmares were occurring less and less often.

When they did happen, he would be woken by either Sonic or Dark, depending on if Sonic was awake or not, the former of the two encouraging him to talk about it and the latter simply calming him down enough to fall back to sleep.

As for Sonic, he had slowly come to terms with Dark Super being Scourge's bodyguard. He still wasn't completely accepting of how Dark would take over whenever the dark form felt that there was the slightest threat to Scourge's physical wellbeing, but he knew there was no way around it, so he was learning to just live with it.

There were a few notable instances, however…

Such as when Shadow had come by to collect his Chaos Emerald a few days after the rescue.

_Smirking impishly, Scourge refused to hand it over, and began goading the Ultimate Life Form to try and take it from him, all the while spinning the Chaos Emerald on the tip of his index finger._

_Shadow had instantly accepted the challenge, and leapt towards the Moebian, ignoring the warning given to him by Sonic's mother when he'd arrived._

_Eyes widening, Sonic tried to intervene. "Shadow, wait!"_

_But it was too late. Dark Sonic had taken full control._

_Shadow hadn't expected to be grabbed by the throat and pinned against the wall. He stared into the soulless white eyes that were filled with rage, noting the blue fur turning into a bluish-black color._

_Dark Sonic tightened his grip on Shadow's throat. "If you lay so much as a finger on him, I'll rip your limbs off and scatter them around Mobius…"_

_Normally, Shadow wasn't one to be intimidated, and he knew he could have simply Chaos Control out of the other hedgehog's grip…_

_Only he could feel his energy slowly being drained…_

_And that glare was really unnerving…_

_After nodding slightly to show that he understood, Shadow was released. His gaze flickered between the other two hedgehogs for a few moments before silently leaving._

_Grinning, Scourge tossed the Emerald into the air before catching it._

_"Was it really necessary to taunt him?"_

_"What did you expect? I'm bored out of my mind here!"_

_Sighing, Dark didn't bother to dignify that statement with a response, and simply reverted back to Sonic._

_Sonic blinked, before giving Scourge an annoyed look. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"_

_"What, being able to get away with pissin' off Stripes? You know it!"_

_"You know this isn't gonna last forever…"_

_"Yeah, well, I'll be able to handle myself eventually, don't cha think?"_

_"Try telling that to Dark," Sonic muttered._

Shaking his head to clear it of the memory, Sonic smiled. He didn't regret rescuing Scourge for a minute, even if the Moebian did like to goad someone into trying to attack him, as he had done with Shadow.

What made it funny was that Dark Sonic hadn't caught on yet that Scourge was doing it on purpose.

Every so often, though, when Scourge did something to really annoy him, a part of him still wondered if it had been worth rescuing him. He would then remember that, if he hadn't, there was a good chance that the former King of Moebius would have died from a combination of the extensive wounds he'd gotten and the forced starvation. Not to mention, that since Sonic himself had also been wasting away, he would have also died from lack of nutrition.

Although they wouldn't admit it, especially Scourge, the twin hedgehogs needed each other. They were like Yin and Yang, complementing each other. Neither could survive without the other.

So, yes, Sonic did think it had been worth saving Scourge.

He wouldn't have it any other way.

_**Fin**_

**Damn, this took a while to write…Mainly because I kept debating over several scenes.**

**The parts with the radio in Sonic's room, was deliberate. I felt like I needed _some_ way for him to snap out of his funk.**

**By the way, you get a cookie for correctly naming each of the other songs I used in this.**

**Dark Sonic appearing was something I'd had planned the whole time. I like the way I portrayed him. Reminds me of Batman.**

**Now then, as for what I had happen to Scourge…well, it _is_ a prison. And, I honestly couldn't resist… *sweatdrop***

**The Yin and Yang comment I couldn't resist either. I did a little research, and here's a direct quote from Wikipedia:**

**"Yin and yang are not opposing forces (dualities), but complementary forces, unseen (hidden, feminine) and seen (manifest, masculine), that interact to form a greater whole, as part of a dynamic system."**

**Basically, if there was no Sonic Prime, then there wouldn't be an Anti Sonic. There needs to be a balance, and Sonic and Scourge just happen to balance each other out, am I right?**

**Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed, and if you did, a review is appreciated, as is a Favorite. :)**

**Bye for now!**

**ShidesuHejjihoggu**


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